Rotary engine



Jan. 4, 1949. E. ALTERIO 2,458,128

` ROTARY ENGINE Filed Dep, 1, i944 2 SheetsSheet 2 i l faf/vf z nwo,` /-g- Y INI/ENTOR.

Patented Jan. 4, 1949 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE ROTARY ENGINE- Eugene Alterio, New York, N. Y. Application December 1, 1944, Serial No. 566,100

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to` rotary engines operated by al fluid medium, particularly steam, and has for its main object to provide a device of this type in which the pressure, velocity, and the expansion of the fluid medium, is made use of in` a novel manner, for producing a rotary motion and power therethrough.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device as characterized hereinbefore, which will be` extremely simple in construction and still highly efiicient in operation and use.

Further objects of this invention will be apparent as the specification of the same proceeds, and, among others, I may mention: to provide a device which will be easy and safe to operate,` to assemble or disassemble, will be comparatively inexpensive to operate, and adapted to mass manufacturing in any desired units, from a small to a very large output.

In the. drawings forming a part of this speci- Iication and accompanying the same,

Fig. l is a transverse sectional view, in a generally diagrammatic manner, of one embodiment of my novel motor, the section being taken on the broken line I-I in Fig. 2;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the same, in a similar manner, the section being taken on the broken line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a detail on an enlarged scale, taken on curved line 3-3 in Fig. l, and flattened into the plane of the drawings;

Fig. 4 is another enlarged sectional detail on the line 4-4 in Fig. 1.

Referring now to the drawings more in detail by characters of reference, the numeral I indicates one embodiment of my novel rotary engine, in general, said engine being composed or two main parts, a stationary housing, generally indicated by the numeral II, and arotor generally indicated by the numeral I2. The housing may have a cylindrical outer wall i3, a front wali i4, and a rear wall I5. Preferably the cylindrical outer wall and the front wall I4 of the housing is made of one casting, while the rear wall I5`is made of a separate piece to be made removable, which, however, is secured on the rest` bejournalled in the stationary housing of my device, as at I9 and 20, in a substantially fluid sealing manner. 4

The rotor is composed of a main wider disk` shaped body 2,! having a circuinierentially arranged projecting central part 22, forming the two shoulders 23 and 24.

A plurality of curved steam exit slots or channels 25 are arranged in the rotor I2 communicating with the steam, receivingI channel I'I and ending in steam eXit openings 26.

A plurality of teeth or projections, generally indicated by the numeral 27, are arranged around the circumferential projecting portion 2:2 of the rotorQsaidteeth or projections having top portion 28 and two side portions 29` and 30 around said member 22, and said projections also having a generally radial ilat Vfront surface 3|., and being inwardly and rearwardly inclined as indicated at 3.2. Only a portion of said teeth is fully shown in the sectional view of Fig. l, the rest being indicated by the dot and dash lines therein.

vA plurality of curved plates or .blades 33 and 34'ar`e arranged ongthe shoulders 23 and 24 of the rotor I2', alongside the central projecting portion 22, being secured on said shoulders by any appropriate means, and preferably being narrower than said shoulders leaving open spaces at their sides. p

The outer cylindrical wall I3 ofthe stationary housing, is at a good portion thereof very closely set to the rotor, as indicated at 35, so asV to mpede the exit of the steam at this place but permit an easy sliding motion of the rotor on said portion of the housing. Following this portion, the large-st part of said wall I3 is set away from the rotor to a desired small distance, as indicated at 36, while, finally, the last portion of the circumference of that housing is set apart from the rotor. to quite a considerable distance, as indicated `at 31, and said largest portion thereof terminates in a steam exhaust 38. The radial fronts of the teeth 21 and the concave sides of the blades 33 are facing towards said closed portion of the cylindrical housing.

The use and operation of my engine is as follows: Steam is introduced through the pipe I6, as indicated by arrow 39, entering the channel II and being conducted from there into the steam ejecting channels 25, as indicated by the arrow 4U. The steam blowing from the mouth 2B of said channels will hit the cylindrical wall I3`of the stationary housing, will be reflected therefrom, and will act on the at radial surfaces 3! oi the teeth 2I, and by such action will have a tendency of rotating the rot'or l2 in a clockwise direction, as indicated by arrow 4I.

Similarly, the steam will act on the curved blades or plates in the direction of arrow 42, and will give a rotary momentum in the same clockwise direction.

It will be obvious that the original passing of the steam from the channel l' through the exit channels 25, will also have a tendency to rotate the rotor I2 in a clockwise direction, as indicated by arrow 4|.

NOW, the steam cannot exit from the space 43 in an anti-clockwise direction on account of the substantially closed portion of the stationary housing on the rotor, and the steam, so-to-say, will Ibe compressed and will develop quite a high pressure in the space 43, while the steam will move in the direction of arrows 44, and will exit through the exhaust 38 (arrow 45).

This pressure and this movement of the steam produces the action previously described on the teeth 21 and on the blades or plates 33 and 34, all of which will drive the rotor in the same direction as the reaction through the curved exit channels 25 has a, tendency to move it, that is, in a clockwise direction (arrow 4l). This action is further aided by the wide portion 3l of the housing through which the steam will develop a high speed, and will exert so-to-say, an exhaust action on the remaining steam in the space 36.

The steam therefore acts in my engine several ways, all in the same direction, like through the curved channels 25, ythe reaction from the cylindrical housing, the compression upon exit from` said channels, and its accelerated movement to its exit, the latter ones acting on the teeth 21 and on the'blades 33.

It will be seen that in my engine steam will blow outwardly through the major portion of the circumference of the rotor, will exert a rotary momentum on the rotor in several Ways, will move with great speed in the space 43 and 31 in the same clockwise direction as the motion of the rotor, and at the end will exit with great velocity through the pipe 38.

Since some of the steam upon exit will still have considerableA` pressure, the exhaust steam in pipe 38 may be introduced into any appropriate other device to make use of its temperature and pressure, or, preferably, I introduce said steam into a second rotary engine of this invention, to cause its pressure, speed and elasticity to further work in said second motor.

At a in Fig. 2, I show a bore opposite each of the entrance bores or holes 40 for the steam, said bore 40a leading to the rear surface of the rotor |'2.` It Will be seen that the steam also will pass through these rearward bores 40a and therethrough may reach the narrow space between the rotor l2 and the rear plate I5 of the housing. In this manner the rotor will be released of a onesided pressure by the steam.

While I have shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I am aware of the fact that changes and variations may be resorted to inthe elements, combinations and constructional details of my invention, and I reserve my rights to such changes and variations, which are within the spirit of this specication and within the scope of theclaims hereunto appended.

What I claim as new and want to prot-ect by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a rotary engine, having a fluid operating medium, like steam, a cylindrical housing with exit operating lchannels in said rotor from said vreceiving channel to the circumference of the rotor, a rst porti-on of the cylindrical outer wall of the housing,towards which the exits of all of said y operating channels rare directed, being slidably but sealingly closed on the outer circumference of the rotor to impede the exit of the working fluid in that direction, the rest of said cylindrical wall being set wider apart from said rotor to permit the impact of the increasing fluid thereon for a reaction therefrom on the rotor, and to ease and accelerate the exit 4of the fluid in :a direction away from said closed portion, the last portion of said space between the :rotor and the cylindrical wall being made the widest and having a fluid exit communicating therewith, teeth around the outer marginal portion of the rotor, said teeth being triangular in cross section and having gene-rally radial nat front surfaces facing towards said closed portion of the housing and rearwardly and inwardly inclined rear surfaces.

2. In a rotary engine, having a fluid loperating medium, like steam, a cylindrical housing with flat end Walls, a shaft journalled in said end Walls in a substantially fluid tight manner, a disk shaped rotor secured on said shaft, its side Walls being close to the flat end surfaces of thel housing to prevent escape of the fluid medium therebetween, and a fluid inlet provided through the front flat end wall 0f said housing, the combination, of a ring shaped fluid receiving channel priovided Iin the side of the rotor, facing, and open t0- wards, said fluid inlet and in registering relation therewith, and a plurality of curved fluid eXit operating channels in said roto-r from said receiving channel to the circumference of the rotor, a first portion of the cylindrical outer Wall of the housing, towards which the exits of all of said operating channels are directed, being slidably but sealingly closed on the outer circumference of the rotor to impede the exit of the working fluid in that direction, the rest of said cylindrical wall being set wider apart from said rotor to permit the impact of the increasing uid thereon for a reaction therefrom on the rotor, and to ease and accelerate the exit of the fluid in a direction away from said closed portion, the last portion of said space between the rotor and the cylindrical wall being made the widest and having a fluid eXit communicating therewith, a central portion of the circumference of the rotor being raised forming two shoulders a-t the two sides thereof, teeth on said raised portion extending around all the three sides thereof, said teeth being triangular in cross section and having generally radial flat front surfaces facing towards said closed portion of the housing and converging inclined rear surfaces.

3. In a rotary engine, as set forth in claim 2, a plurality of radially set blades secured -on said shoulders.

4. In a rotary engine, as set forth in claim 2, a plurality of radially set blades secured on said shoulders, said blades being curved, the concave 5 side of their curvature facing towards said closed Number portion of the housing. 1,849,478

EUGENE ALTERIO. 1,944,504 y 2,074,650 REFERENCES CITED 5 2,083,167 The following references are of record in the ,2,087834 le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date 10 511841 132,829 Harris Nov. 5, 1372 62978 783,232 Hewlett -2 May 19, 1903 Name Date Clarke Mar. 15, 1932 Geer J an. 23, 1934 Holdaway Mar, 23, 1937 Lamere June 8, 1937 Brown et al July 20, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France Jan. 5, 1921 France May 3, 1927 

